The Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo (French: Forces armées de la République du Congo), also less formally denoted as the Forces armées congolaises or its acronym FAC, are the military forces of the Republic of the Congo. They consist of the Congolese Army, the Congolese Air Force, the Congolese Marine (Navy) [fr], and the Congolese National Gendarmerie [fr]. The dissolution of French Equatorial Africa in 1958, and France's impending military withdrawal from the Congo in August 1960, provided the impetus for the formation of the FAC. The FAC and state paramilitary agencies are headed by an Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, usually appointed by the President of the Republic of the Congo. Major General Guy Blanchard Okoï has served as chief of staff since 2012.

History

The Congolese military was created on January 16, 1961, and reflected the nature of the colonial security forces, which recruited among the country's northern ethnic groups and were staffed by junior Bakongo officers and a handful of French senior commissioned officers. President Alphonse Massamba-Débat, who seized power in 1963, expelled all the French personnel and sidelined the military in favor of independent political militias, which were trained by Cuban troops. The militias and the Congo's civil defense corps were later integrated with the FAC as the Armée Nationale Populaire.

Under the People's Republic of the Congo, the FAC was again reorganized, with Mbochi career soldiers making up the bulk of the new officer corps; its effectiveness and standards, however, were gradually eroded by draconian political purges throughout the 1970s. A second major setback occurred during the 1990s, when mass desertions led to many FAC officers and enlisted troops joining regional militias. The FAC was reformed for the third time after the Second Congo War, incorporating many former rebels and militia combatants.

On 5 February 2012, there were munitions explosions at a tank regiment (seemingly 'Regiment Blinde') barracks located in Brazzaville's fifth arrondissement, Ouenzé. Some 206 people were initially reported killed. There are five military barracks in the city, and after the explosion officials said the government had promised to move all munitions out of the capital.^[2]

Army equipment

Small arms

Name	Image	Caliber	Type	Origin	Notes
Pistols
TT-33[3]		7.62×25mm	Semi-automatic pistol	Soviet Union
Makarov PM[3]		9×18mm	Semi-automatic pistol	Soviet Union
Walther PP[3]		.25 ACP	Semi-automatic pistol	Weimar Republic
MAC 50[3]		9×19mm	Semi-automatic pistol	France
Submachine guns
PPSh-41[3]		7.62×25mm	Submachine gun	Soviet Union
Uzi[3]		9×19mm	Submachine gun	Israel
MAT-49[3]		9×19mm	Submachine gun	France
Franchi LF-57[3]		9×19mm	Submachine gun	Italy
Rifles
SKS[4][5]		7.62×39mm	Semi-automatic rifle	Soviet Union
AKM[3]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union
Type 56[5]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	People's Republic of China
IMI Galil[3]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	Israel
Vektor R4[5]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	South Africa
M16[3]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	United States
FN FAL[3]		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Belgium
CETME Model C[6]		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Francoist Spain
MAS-36[7]		7.5×54mm	Bolt-action rifle	France
MAS-49/56[8]		7.5×54mm	Semi-automatic rifle	France
Machine guns
FM 24/29[9]		7.5×54mm	Light machine gun	France
IWI Negev[3]		5.56×45mm	Light machine gun	Israel
RP-46[3]		7.62×54mmR	Light machine gun	Soviet Union
RPD[10]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
RPK[3]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
PKM[3]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Soviet Union
M60[3]		7.62×51mm	General-purpose machine gun	United States
KPV[11]		14.5×114mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
DShK[3]		12.7×108mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
Rocket propelled grenade launchers
RPG-2[3]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPG-7[3]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPG-18[10]		64mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPO-A Shmel[10]		93mm	Missile launcher	Soviet Union

Anti-tank weapons

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Caliber	Notes
M18[9]		Recoilless rifle	United States	57mm

Tanks

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
T-54/55		Medium tank	Soviet Union	25[12]	INS
Type 59		Main battle tank	People's Republic of China	15[12]	INS
Type 62		Light tank	People's Republic of China	10[12]	INS
Type 63		Light tank	People's Republic of China	8[12]	INS
PT-76		Amphibious Light tank	Soviet Union	3[12]	INS

Scout cars

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
BRDM-1		Scout car	Soviet Union	25[12]	INS
BRDM-2		Scout car	Soviet Union		INS

Armored personnel carriers

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
BTR-60		Amphibious Armored personnel carrier	Soviet Union	30[12]	INS
AT105 Saxon		Armored personnel carrier	United Kingdom	28[12]	INS
Panhard M3		Armoured personnel carrier	France	9[13]	INS
Mamba		Armoured personnel carrier	South Africa	18[12]	INS
Marauder		Armored personnel carrier	South Africa	37[12]	INS
ZFB-05		Armored personnel carrier	People's Republic of China	14[13]	INS
WZ-551		Armored personnel carrier	People's Republic of China	Unknown[14]	INS

Artillery

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
Self-propelled artillery
2S1 Gvozdika		Self-propelled artillery	Soviet Union	3[12]	INS
Rocket artillery
RPU-14		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
BM-14		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
BM-21 Grad		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	10[12]	INS
Mortars
PM-41		Mortar	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
PM-43		Mortar	Soviet Union	28[12]	INS
Field artillery
ZiS-2		Anti-tank gun	Soviet Union	5[12]	INS
BS-3		Field gun	Soviet Union	10[12]	INS
D-30		Howitzer	Soviet Union	10[12]	INS
D-20		Howitzer	Soviet Union	8[13]	INS
M-46		Field gun	Soviet Union	5[12]	INS

Air defence systems

Towed anti-aircraft guns

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
ZPU-4		Anti-aircraft gun	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
ZPU-2		Anti-aircraft gun	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
61-K		Autocannon	Soviet Union	28[12]	INS
S-60		Autocannon	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]	INS
KS-19		Anti-aircraft gun	Soviet Union	4[13]	INS

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Status	Notes
ZSU-23-4 Shilka		SPAAG	Soviet Union	8[13]	INS

Navy

The Navy has around 800 personnel. In October 2007, the US Navy provided some training to Congolese Navy personnel in Pointe-Noire, a port city that is the second largest settlement in the country.^[15]

As of 2016 it was commanded by Rear Admiral Andre Bouagnabea-Moundanza.^[16]

As of 2019 the Navy operates a single Mil Mi-14 helicopter.^[17]

Air Force

After achieving independence from France in 1960, the Congolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Congolaise) was started with equipment such as the Douglas C-47s, Broussards and Bell 47Gs, these were followed by Nord Noratlas tactical transports and Sud Alouette helicopter. In the 1970s the air force switched to Soviet equipment. This included five Ilyushin IL-14 and six turboprop Antonov An-24 transports and an An-26 in return for providing bases for Cuban MiG-17 operations over Angola. These fighters and a few MiG-15UTI combat trainers were transferred to the FAC. In 1990 these fighter were replaced by 16 USSR supplied MiG-21MF/bis Fishbeds plus a couple of MiG-21US trainers. Together with a Soviet training mission which stayed until late 1991, during that time there were numerous accidents that involved both Soviet and Congolese personnel. After the Soviets left there was only limited funding for MiG operations and they were withdrawn. Six Mi-8 helicopters were delivered from Ukraine in mid-1997 before the Cobra rebel takeover.

In 1990, the Air Force was reformed into its present state. Most fighter aircraft it possessed were scrapped in 2001. France and China provided most training to the Air Force in recent times.

See the article Congolese Air Force for current inventory.